Meeting Banner
Abstract #2588

Automated Volumetric Measurements of Posterior Cranial Fossa by MRI: Applications to Chiari I Malformation

Noam Alperin1, Snag Lee1, Derek Monette1, Ahmet Bagci1, Birgit Ertl-Wagner2, Raymond Sekula3

1University of Miami, Miami, FL, United States; 2University of Munich, Germany; 3Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh


The diagnosis of Chiari Malformations type I (CMI) is based on tonsillar herniation of 5 mm or more below foreman magnum. However, this criterion is poorly correlated with symptoms severity or outcome. The size of the posterior cranial fossa (PCF) has been shown to be a more sensitive marker for CMI. Currently there is no reliable method for volumetric assessment of the PCF. An automated method for measurements of PCF and hindbrain tissue volumes has been developed and applied to CMI. Results demonstrate, for the first time, that in addition to smaller PCF, CMI is also associated with a smaller 4th ventricle.

Keywords